ABSTRACT
As markets globalise and expand, organisations face fierce domestic and international competition for complementary goods and services. In order to maintain competitiveness, organisations must look inwardly for efficiency gains. One way that these gains can be acquired is from initiatives to reduce labour costs and increase production output. The acquisition (or hire) of off-highway plant and equipment often presents itself as a viable option for organisations that strive to meet these challenges and maximise efficiency and hence, profitability. Off-highway plant and equipment includes items such as dump trucks, rough terrain forklift trucks, skid steer loaders and tracked hydraulic excavators. These versatile machines provide a considerable contribution to the industrialised economy and have been adapted for use in many bespoke operational environments, ranging from civil engineering and construction to opencast mining, forestry, aggregates and the scrap metal industry.
